Cuts in federal aid hurting NJ senior centers

Two years ago, Marianne Wall was able to serve fresh, warm lunches to nearly 80 senior citizens a day as the director of the Thomas J. Riley Senior Center in Westwood.

Now, the center — a popular place for local seniors to socialize, enjoy activities and get something wholesome to eat — is down to just 40 meals a day, Wall said.

Budget cuts, she said, are to blame.

For roughly three years, senior citizens in North Jersey have been affected by sweeping congressional cuts to a popular federal grant program, leaving towns already working with tight budgets — and in some cases, even the seniors themselves — to make up the difference.

“The federal government has cut these programs pretty considerably,” said Bergen County spokesman Joseph Appio. “I understand volunteers help out to make ends meet at these places, and we are very concerned about this.”

The Community Development Block Grant program — one of the longest-running in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s history — funds local community development, affordable housing, anti-poverty programs, infrastructure improvements, and senior centers and programs.

Congress passed a 2012 budget that reduced funding for the program by 7.9 percent, according to figures from the White House.

In 2012, Bergen County received more than $8 million in block grants from the federal government, with $702,000 going directly to senior programs, county records show. That’s a decrease from the $900,000 designated for senior-specific programs in 2010. Funding for 2011 was higher than normal — close to $2 million — due to construction projects and improvements at some area senior centers.

Overall, the CDBG grants have been on a steady decline since 2010 when the county received close to $12 million and $9.8 million in 2011, according to figures from Bergen County.

How much a community receives depends on factors such as population and income levels, officials said.

The cuts haven’t been so significant in Passaic County, which has received a rather consistent level of funding for more than three years. For instance, officials in Wayne, Paterson, Passaic and Clifton — municipalities that receive direct CDBG funds — reported negligible decreases.

In 2010, Passaic County received $805,450 in CDBG funds, records show. That amount rose to $950,250 in 2011 and dipped slightly last year to $946,150.

“With the way the economy has been since 2009, we always worry,” said Ronald Van Rensalier, director of community development for the city of Passaic. “We were concerned that there would be a reduction last year, but we weren’t hit that hard and can continue to provide programs and services to our residents.”

HUD spokesman Adam Glantz said funding has been on the decline “the last few years” because of “federal budgetary constraints.”

“There is less money available from Congress and so local neighborhoods are feeling the impact of that,” he said.

And in Bergen County, where every budget dollar counts in many of these small towns, the cuts are hurting.

Passing on the costs

Wall said the dearth of funds has forced her to increase the suggested donation price for lunches served at the center — up 50 cents to $3. It has also limited some of the programs she’s able to offer.

“Thanks to the CDBG cuts, I have to fundraise monthly to keep this place afloat,” Wall said, adding she’s hosted spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts, white elephant sales and flea markets to keep the center open. “It’s very upsetting to see these seniors are struggling.”

In 2010, Wall received $25,000 in federal grants for the center. Last year, she received $16,000.

“I was told next year, I could get cut to $13,000,” Wall said. “Some of my seniors are making choices between medicine or food; that is their dilemma.”

Similar scenes are playing out in towns such as Emerson, Washington Township, Bogota, Rutherford, Harrington Park, Haworth, Norwood, New Milford, Demarest, Montvale, Old Tappan, Oradell, Park Ridge, River Vale, River Edge, Rochelle Park and Saddle Brook. They have all seen their CDBG funds for seniors depleted by thousands since 2008, officials said.

Bogota Mayor Pat McHale said cuts to senior funding have been minimal in the borough but said he’s worried things could get worse.

“We’re just happy to be getting anything,” McHale said. “I know they have been talking about scaling things back. I’m not thrilled about that, because with the 2 percent cap, those decreases make it tough on towns.”

Northvale’s senior center received more than $100,000 in federal funds in 2008. By 2012, that figure had been cut to $39,000, officials said.

The James F. McGuire Memorial Senior Center has become a regular meeting place for older borough residents, as well as seniors from surrounding municipalities such as Norwood, Harrington Park, Old Tappan and even New York’s Rockland County.

“It’s a unique place,” Mayor Paul Bazela said of the center, which is open at least four hours every day except Saturday.

‘Making life difficult’

In previous years, federal grants funded the center’s entire operation, Bazela said, providing enough money for programs and activities, as well as staffers’ salaries. There were even funds to pay for a senior van and its driver. Not anymore, the mayor said.

“So what they do at our senior center is they fundraise all the time,” Bazela said. “They pay for their own van and driver, raising all of their own money to do that with pasta dinners and events.”

Bazela hoped federal officials would think twice about future cuts.

“You know, $19,000 may not sound like much to some people, but it is a lot to me. When you become a senior, you are paying taxes for things you won’t even be utilizing. And taxes will always go up. These people have put in their time; they have paid the bills and they are still paying the bills.”

Those in Congress need to know the effects of the cuts they’re passing, added Wall, the Westwood center director.

“They don’t see how the cuts affect us,” she said. “These congressmen need to know how their decisions are making life difficult for seniors.”